Extreme Dental Compensation in an Adult Skeletal Class III Malocclusion: 3-Year Follow-up of a Successfully Compromised Treatment.

Abstract

Nonsurgical orthodontic treatment of a patient with severe skeletal Class III malocclusion, negative overjet, increased overbite and maxillary crowding is described Although the treatment options included an orthodontic-surgical approach, high cost of the surgical procedure was the main reason for extreme dental compensation to have been performed. Four-premolar extraction protocol associated with intermaxillary Class III elastics were used to correct the malocclusion at the expense of increasing the initial dental compensation without producing any noticeable skeletal change. Satisfactory and stable occlusion was achieved with dental and smile esthetics improvement, but the amount of facial changes was limited by the nonsurgical protocol. The clinical results and implications of compensatory treatment as well as its relevance within the patient context are discussed based on scientific evidences.